A common issue with excavations and other types of holes, spaces, and enclosures, involves the danger of leaving the space open or uncovered. A person or animal may access the space causing injury, property damage, stop or start utilities, vandalism, or other undesired situations. Authorized individuals, such as utility workers, need access to enclosed spaces. Valve box covers, manhole covers, and other tops, covers, and blocks exist to keep out unauthorized access.
Valve boxes (sometimes referred to as “valve vaults”) are commonly used to secure access to buried valves, conduits, or pipe sections. The valve boxes may be covered to protect access to supplies of water, gas, electricity, telecommunication, cable, utilities, and other such flowing or transmission conduits. The valve box is often cylindrical with a lid or cap to protect the valve, prevent animals and people from entering the enclosed area, and to support the weight of vehicles passing over the valve box. Valve boxes often are elongated hollow housings capped at an upper end by a collar or the like, wherein a cap, lid, top, or similar barrier may be removed by a properly authorized person to allow access to the valve, such as by a wrench or other tool. A recurring problem with valve box access is that unauthorized persons may remove the cover, such as to maliciously or accidentally tamper with a valve. Unintended actuation or other operation of a valve disrupts systems, such as utilities. The valve box may be constructed of metal (such as cast iron), concrete, plastic, or other suitable materials. Exemplary valve boxes may be the type of valve boxes available from Bingham & Taylor at 601 Nalle Place, Culpeper, Va. 22701, U.S.A.
Many present devices for securing access to enclosed spaces are cumbersome and contain complicated mechanisms that are costly, difficult to open and secure, and difficult to manufacture.
It would be advantageous to provide an apparatus, method, and system that would include one or more of the features of 1) ease of manufacture; 2) uncomplicated mechanisms; 3) no power supply necessary for operation; 4) simple to allow access to enclosed spaces; and 5) securely preventing unauthorized access to enclosed spaces.